Subcommittee Chairman Susan W. Brooks (R-IN) on the hearing: "A cyber attack on our critical infrastructure could have damaging cascading physical effects. We must ensure that state and local emergency management officials are prepared to respond to such an attack. Unfortunately, the 2013 National Preparedness Report again highlights states' concerns about their cybersecurity capabilities. This hearing, occurring during Cybersecurity Awareness Month, will provide Members with an opportunity to examine the state of cyber information sharing and cyber incident response capabilities."

Subcommittee Chairman Patrick Meehan (R-PA) on the hearing: “Our Committee has been focused on providing our nation and the Department of Homeland Security with the tools and authorities to prevent a cyber attack on U.S. critical infrastructure. Through our efforts conducting oversight, and partnering with government and private sector stakeholders, we remain determined to prevent an attack. This joint hearing will further our efforts by ensuring that the federal government and its state and local partners are capable of responding to and mitigating the threat should a successful cyber attack occur. I look forward to discussing ways that Congress can help advance the Department’s response capabilities.”

Subcommittee Chairman Jeff Duncan (R-SC) on the hearing: “On September 16, 2013, Aaron Alexis tragically killed 12 innocent people and wounded several others at the Washington Navy Yard. After such a tragedy, many questions arise as to what systems and procedures exist for protecting facilities. DHS’s Federal Protective Service (FPS) is the primary federal agency responsible for providing law enforcement and security services to federal facilities. With about 9,600 federal facilities that house 1.1 million occupants and have 1.4 million visitors on an average day, FPS has an important role in the security of the homeland. The purpose of this hearing is to examine what DHS is doing to protect federal facilities and what steps, if any, need to be taken to improve security.”